March 2015

Ms. Reiters
Classroom
Newsletter
Hello Families,
My name is Kristen Reiter and I will be student
teaching in your students first grade classroom this
year. I am very excited to begin this school year with
you! I have gained a great deal of experience and
knowledge through my classes at SOU as well as
through my practicum experiences that will help guide
my teaching. I believe in holistic education that
emphasizes the needs of the whole child. My teaching
philosophy focuses on developing my students social,
emotional, and academic needs. My lessons will be
created based off of my students interests and needs
and I will build off of their individual strengths during
instruction.
I encourage families to take an active role in their
students education. Collaboration between families,
the teacher and the community as a whole is
important for student success. Therefore, I am always
available if you have any comments, questions, or
concerns. Also, I encourage all families to be a part of
the classroom experience. I will provide opportunities
for families to come and share their culture with the
class, or even come in as a volunteer. This is going to
be a great year! I will use my love of teaching to teach
my students to love learning!

About Me
I am currently attending Southern
Oregon University as a senior in the
Elementary Education Program. I was
accepted into the Master of Arts in
Teaching program at SOU, which will
begin this June.
I was born and raised in the
wonderful Portland, Oregon and I moved
down to Ashland to attend SOU. In my
free time I enjoy playing and watching
sports (especially football and hockey),
reading, spending time with my family
and friends as well as my new 6-month
old kitty Toothless, and I enjoy spending
time at the beach.
Contact information:
reiterk@sou.edu
(503) 810-6878

Welcome to the Classroom!

Whats happening in the classroom?
March 2- March 6: In Celebration of Dr. Seuss birthday on March 2, we will participate
in a school-wide author celebration. During this time we will be reading various books by Dr.
Suess. We will follow these with some creative art projects and a fun cooking project!

March 16- March 20: The first day of spring is on March 20! We will be learning about
the spring season and the many changes that occur in nature. We also learn about the parts of
a flower and create an art project.

March Reading Madness: During the month of March, our class will be completing in a
March Reading Madness tournament. I will choose 16 books, some being books by Dr. Seuss,
that I will put in a March Madness bracket. There will be 4 sections where each student will
have 4 days to read 2 books. After each section the class will vote for their favorites that will
move to the next round. The whole class will read, or re-read, the final two books and we will
choose a winner for the March Reading Madness tournament!

Birthday Spotlight:

Classroom Rules
I will care for myself and others.
I will be respectful at all times.
I will be a responsible listener.
I will cooperate and be fair.
I will ask questions.

Dylans birthday is on March 18!

Happy Birthday Dylan!
*Remember to create an All About Me
project to bring in on your birthday!

I will always do my best.

From School to Home:

Education involves the collaboration of teachers,
students, and their families! Families of students
are always welcome into the classroom. I
welcome you to come in and share something
unique about your culture or something you are
an expert about!

Remember to read with you children! Literacy is a

very important part of every childs development.
When reading extends from school to home, children
literacy skills improve. Please read with your child
whenever possible, even if for only 15 minutes a day.

Activities to do with your children at home:

Cook together
Play board games
Have a scavenger hunt outside or in your home
Ask them to be a helper at the store
Help with homework
Color or write a story
Any everyday activity can be made into a fun
game to include your children!

Remember to be involved in your childs schoolwork! See if they are

ways you can incorporate what your child learns at school into your
home environment. Thank you for your involvement!

Community Resources:
CASA of Jackson County

CASAs are Court Appointed Special Advocates who

volunteer their time to help children who have been abused
or neglected and are now wards of the court. CASAs are
responsible for investigating and reporting the
circumstances of the child to the court, facilitating the
delivery of services ordered by the court for the child,
monitoring compliance with other orders of the court, and
advocating in the court and community for the best
interests of the child. These children are a part of our
community and there are many ways in which you can help!
Contact to learn more:
CASA of Jackson County
613 Market St.
Medford, OR 97504

Phone: (541)734-2272
Email:
casa@jacksoncountycasa.org

Southern Oregon Head Start believes that every child

should be emotionally and physically healthy in order to
learn and grow. This organization helps children of lowincome families prepare for kindergarten. They focus
on physical development, social-emotional
development, language, literacy, and cognition skills.
Call to learn more: (541)734-5105

LISTO: Southern Oregon Head Start collaborates with

Southern Oregon ESD/EDL Program and Rogue
Community College to conduct the Southern Oregon
Listo. This program provides infant and toddler care,
preschool, kindergarten through 8th grade
enrichment, and courses for adult education for
migrant education students and their families. The
program also provides free dinner. Listo emphasizes
English acquisition, native language retainment, and
cultural pride.
Central High School in Medford- Tuesday and
Thursday from 5:30-8:00pm
Mountain View Elementary- Monday and
Wednesday from 5:30-8:00pm
Email: becky.barker@socfc.org- Listo Director

The Ashland YMCA is a great community organization for all families! There is an affordable
membership fee to access all the Y has to offer. Also, there is scholarship program for
community members who may be unable to afford the fee. Membership to the YMCA
includes a variety of fitness classes and access to the sauna, pool, and fitness center. The Y
also has a child watch center for an hour and a half of play.
The YMCA is located at 540 YMCA Way, Ashland, OR
Contact at (541)482-9622

There are many different ways to be a part of the

community. Each month I will provide opportunities for
you to get involved in the community or find resources
that may be available for your family!

School Calendar
March
Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Dr. Seuss Author Celebration

8

10

11

12

13

14

19

20

21

PTO
Meeting
at 6:30
15

16

17

18

First
day of

22

23

24

29

30

31

25

26

27

28